City water wellfields get $4.36 million makeover

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, April 26, 2010

A Wylie construction company was awarded $4.36 million in contracts Tuesday to modernize two city water wellfields and replace lines at the wastewater treatment plant southeast of town.

In an unusually brief one-hour meeting, the Midland City Council authorized Red River Construction to replace computer controls for nine wells supplying Midland International Airport and to install new controls and electrical gear for 32 wells at the Paul Davis Wellfield 25 miles north of town.

City Utilities Director Stuart Purvis said it will take about a year to complete the work targeting 30-year-old computer controls and electrical gear used since the Davis field started pumping in 1958. Wylie is northeast of Dallas.

"We have to run around out there now to turn things off," Purvis said. "Once we get the upgrades, we won't have to."

Red River will earn $3.88 million for the wellfields and $482,740 to lay three 48-inch primary clarifier effluent lines totaling 1,000 feet in length at the wastewater plant. "The old lines have corroded and failed," said Purvis.

In other business, the panel approved on first reading an ordinance allocating the Sports & Entertainment Association of Midland another $84,000 because the Chamber of Commerce affiliated group had depleted its $135,000 appropriation for 2009-10 tourism promotion.

The ordinance entails a $5,000 agreement with the Midland RockHounds baseball team to help finance July 3 and 4 fireworks shows at Citibank Ballpark. Councilman Scott Dufford was absent.

After an invocation by the Rev. Jon Wymore of Living Way Foursquare Church, Mayor Wes Perry proclaimed May "Bicycle Month" in conjunction with events at the new BMX riding facility in Reyes-Mashburn-Nelms Park at 2101 E. Cuthbert Ave.

The council also:

— Granted developer Mike Jackson's request to reduce the required "setback" from the curb from 20 to 15 feet for housing 300 feet east of Sunburst Drive on the north side of Preston Drive.

— Authorized The Ranch nightclub's use of its parking lot 1,000 feet south of Loop 250 North on the east side of North Big Spring Street for outdoor entertainment on June 12 and Aug. 7.

— Approved a plan to let a maximum of three food vendors at a time work Mondays through Saturdays at Centennial Park downtown and make an exception for events like the Midland Celebration of the Arts from May 14-16.